Paul Pogba turns to acting amid four-year doping ban, ex-Manchester United star to appear in French film titled 4 Zéros: Reports
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has reportedly turned to acting while serving a four-year ban for doping from the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribuna. The Frenchman received the penalty in February after testing positive for a banned substance following a match for Juventus in August 2023.
After receiving the penalty, the Frenchman appealed the ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport maintaining that he did not intentionally take the substance.
The 31-year-old is trying his luck in the field of acting and has been involved in filming for a French film called '4 Zéros' in Paris this week, as per ESPN. The movie, which is a sequel to the 2002 '3 Zéros,' is set to be released in April 2025. Paul Pogba plays the role of a youth football coach and has reportedly impressed everyone on set, as per French outlet Le Parisien.
The Frenchman started his senior career with Manchester United in 2011 and then joined Juventus the following year and continued with the Serie A outfit till 2016. He returned to Old Trafford that year and has made 238 appearances, scoring 39 goals and providing 51 assists in seven seasons across two stints.
The midfielder joined the Serie A giants again in 2022 and has 190 appearances along with 34 goals and 41 assists across two stints for the club. Although his contract with Juventus expires in 2026, it is unlikely that Paul Pogba will return to Allianz Stadium again.
Paul Pogba's statement after receiving the four-year ban
Paul Pogba was first suspended in September 2023 after failing a drug test and later a secondary sample analysis led to the four-year ban. Following this decision, the midfielder released a statement that read:
"I have today been informed of the Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping's decision and believe that the verdict is incorrect. I am sad, shocked and heartbroken that everything I have built in my professional playing career has been taken away from me."
The Frenchman also mentioned that he did not voluntarily take performance-enhancing drugs and said:
"I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations. As a professional athlete, I would never do anything to enhance my performance by using banned substances."
If Paul Pogba's appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport is not considered, he will not be able to return to the field until 2027.